Requiem for a dream: visual techniques

Requiem for a dream (2000) pulls it's audience into the harrowing lives of four addicts. The movie begins by introducing the mundane lives of these four unsatisfied characters, who are looking for a better life. Sara Goldfarb wants to be thinner and feel younger, while her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion and his best friend Tyrone hope to sell enough drugs to make a living. As the plot thickens, the horrifying effect of drugs on each character is shown by slowly replacing their original aspirations with an increasing demand for drugs which causes them to spiral out of control; a truly eye-opening experience for the audience. Aronofsky plays with the audiences' pathos and rather than giving us a direct message, he artistically presents the brutal reality of drug abuse through the dexterous use of visual techniques.

The use of close ups in the movie increase intensity - whether the shot is of a face, powder or even a remote, each close up creates visual depth. The close up of Marion's face after she has sex with someone who she is sickened by just for drug money, shows the vacant expression on her face as she looks down to signify her feelings of shame and worthlessness. The audience can literally feel her guilt as the shaky movement of the camera in the travelling shot creates a feeling of insecurity and desperation to get away.

The use of drugs is shown in a 'hip hop montage' stamped by Aronofsky, which is several quickly cut shots with a sound to match each shot. This sequence is repeated to familiarize the audience with this action, but also to reflect on how for each little time a drug is taken, every small moment of euphoria under its influence is followed by a longer, much more distressing come down.

The scene where Ms Goldfarb is walking down the street in her red dress at the beginning of Winter shows everyone except her in a hyperlapse, moving at a fast pace. This portrays not only her isolation and confusion in the world around her, but also her vulnerability as we are shown how no one is paying attention to her as she slowly disintegrates.

Split screens were also used to explore the depth of a relationship. When Harry and Marion are talking, the screens showed Harry on the left and Marion on the right. Harry's hands were shown touching Marion's skin in the right frame while Marion's were shown touching Harry's in the left. The viewer is compelled by the passionate dialogue which matches the embrace shown by these two characters, displaying their raw love for each other.

My favourite scene in the movie is the POV shot given through a fish eye lens, where the audience become the television and Ms Goldfarb looks up towards us. The low angle shot of her looking up at the screen illustrates how belittled she has become and it indicates that she has been subjected to her desire to be on television. When we look at a close up of her face through our own screens, it is as though we are absorbing her guilt for taking a double dose and her isolation when she is glued to the television. This divide is set up so that we not only feel the hopelessness of Ms Goldfarb, but our own hopelessness as an audience, we can't do anything to help the character on screen. However, the POV shot switching to a high angle shot also gives the audience a power over this character and we are reminded that we have the choice to take control of our lives and not end up like Ms Goldfarb, which emphasizes the underlying message of the movie in an extremely effective way.

I really hope to employ some of these visual techniques in our own two minute film opening, to establish a connection between the audience and the characters on screen while also creating an interesting viewing experience for the audience!